Skirt-hanger



D. WITBECK.

SKIRT HANGER. APPLICATION FILED 1AN.26, 1920.

Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

UNETEE) STATES smear OFFICE.

IDESFORD WITBEOK, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO P. C. MURPHY TRUNK I COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

SKIRT-HANGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

Application filed January 26, 1920. Serial No. 354,104.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DESFORD lVrrBnoK, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Skirt-Hangers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to skirt hangers.

One type of skirt hanger that is now in general use, particularly in sample trunks and wardrobe trunks that are used for carrying model skirts, comprises a skirt supporting member of Such shape and proportion that when it is inserted in the upper end of skirt whose waist band is closed or hooked together the skirt will be suspended from said member by the engagement of the end portions of said member with the skirt immediately below the waist band of the skirt, said member being considerably longer than the diameter or length of the closed waist band and having a curved upper edge and also an upwardly-projecting suspending means that connects said member to an overhead supporting structure. A skirt hanger of the type referred to has a tendency to cut or wear out the portions of the skirt that bear upon the end portions of the supporting member, particularly if the skirt be formed of thin or delicate fabric, and when the supporting member is formed of wood, as is the usual practice, the hanger is so thick and bulky that it materially cuts down the capacity of the trunk. Still another objectionable characteristic of such a hanger is that it permits the skirt to sag and slip downwardly over the supporting member to such an extent that it is necessary to make the trunk considerably longer than the length of the skirt, plus the length of the suspending means that connects the supporting member to the rail or bar at the upper end of the trunk from which the skirt hangers are suspended.

The main object of my invention is to provide a skirt hanger which is so construct ed that it will not mar, cut or wear out the fabric of the skirt with which it is used.

Another object is to provide a skirt hanger which is so constructed that it will stretch the waist band of a skirt and hold it perfectly taut, thereby preventing the skirt from sagging and insuring the skirt being held in such a position that it is practicable to use the hanger in a trunk whose height is only equal to the length of the skirt plus. the length of the means that sustains the waistband engaging portion of the hanger.

Another object is to provide a skirt hanger for trunks which takes up less space than the skirt hangers now generally used in trunks, thus materially increasing the capacity of the trunk in which it is used.

And still another object is to provide a light weight, inexpensive skirt hanger that is compact, strong and of such design that it will securely hold a skirt in a correct position without liability of damaging the portion of the skirt immediately below the waist band..

To this end I have devised a skirt hanger that comprises a waist band engaging member formed from a piece of material of such proportion and design-that the waist band of the skirt with which the hanger is used will surround said member and be supported from same without liability of said member marring or cutting the fabric from which the skirt is formed, said member being provided with means for suspending it from an overhead supporting structure.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective view of a skirt hanger constructed in ac cordance with my invention. a

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of same.

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of my improved skirt hanger illustrating it arranged in operative position in a skirt that is shown in vertical section; and

Fig. L is a vertical transverse sectional view of the waist band engaging member of the hanger and a portion of the means which sustains said member.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, A designates the waist band engaging member of my improved hanger which is formed from a piece of flat, thin material which may consist of a strip of fiber, sheet metal or other suitable material that has sufficient strength to support a skirt B. The member A is preferably oblong-shaped and is provided at its opposite ends with portions 1 when said waist band is connected together by the usual hooks and eyes 2 or the other fastening devices that are generally used for attaching the ends of the waist band of a skirt, so that when the member A is inserted in the waist band the waist band will be stretched and held in snug engagement with the portions 1 at the ends of the member A. I also prefer to cut the ends of the member A at such angles that the upper edge of said member will be a trifle longer than the lower edge of said member, thus causing the two corners'l at the opposite ends of the upper edge of the member A to exert sutlicient pressure on the waist band C of the skirt to hold said waist band taut and in such a position that the skirt will not sag or drop off the hanger.

. Another object of forming the end portions of the waist band engaging member A in the manner above described is to prevent said member from contacting with the portion of the skirt immediately below the waist band, and thus cutting same or wearing it out.

Vhile various kinds of materials may be used to form the member A, I prefer to use material that has a slight degree of flexibility, so as to permit the member A to be inserted in the waist band of the skirt by flexing it slightly so as to reduce the length of the member A, as illustrated in broken lines in Fig. 2. When the member A is thereafter allowed to resume its normal shape, it puts suflicient tension on the waist band C to stretch it tightly over the member A, as shown in Fig. 3, wherein it will be noted that the skirt B hangs freely from the waist band to which it is connected without being subjected to pressure or contact with any portion of the hanger that has a tendency to damage or wear out the skirt.

Any suitable means may be used for connecting or suspending the member A from an overheadsupporting structure,but I prefer to equip said member with a hook 3 whose lower end is provided with a fattened portion 3 through which a rivet at passes so as to pivotally connect the member A to the hook 3, the hook herein illustrated being formed from a piece of heavy wire.

A skirt hanger of the construction above described is inexpensive to manufacture; it

is light in weight; it is so compact that a large number of hangers with skirts thereon can be packed in a wardrobe trunk; it will support a skirt without liability of marring or wearing out the fabric from which the skirt is formed and it willhold the skirt in proper position without liability of sagging and in close proximity to the skirt hanger rail or supporting structure from which the skirt hanger is suspended, thereby overcoming the necessity of providing several additional inches in the length of the trunk, as is necessary withthe skirt hangers now in general use in sample and model trunks. \Vhen the hanger is not in use the hook or suspending means 3 of same may be folded into parallel relation with the waist band engaging member A, thus enabling the hanger to be stored or packed in a small space.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A skirt hanger provided with a waist band engaging member formed from a fiat plate or strip of thin, fiat material of such length that when it is arranged-edgewise in the waist band of a skirt the ends of said member will exert pressure on the waist band of the skirt and stretch said waist band lengthwise sufiiciently to hold it in snug engagement with said member, the ends of said member being so shaped that they do not contact with or bear upon the portions of the skirt proper immediately below the waist band.

2. A skirt hanger, comprising a waist band engaging member formed'from a strip of thin material of slightly greater length than the diameter of the waist band of the skirt with which it is used and having sufficient flexibility to permit it to be flexed laterally and introduced into a waist band whose ends are connected together.

3. A skirt hanger, comprising a waist band engaging member formed from a flat strip of thin material of substantially oblong shape whose upper edge islonger than its lower edge, and a suspending means con nected to said member.

DESFORD WITBECK. 

